Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Me and the Birthday Boy

Began a quick morning with more Cat In the Hat. The Cat takes the kids and the fish into the desert to learn how the animals who live there deal with extreme heat - and how humans can, too - in "Be Cool." They go on an "Elephant Walk" to find out how some of the largest mammals on land use their noses like hands.

Today was my first day back at work in over a week. It was...not that bad. Actually, it was pretty quiet for a lot of the day, and never more than on-and-off steady. Not only does the weather remain gorgeous, but other than the Flyers' current run in the playoffs, there just isn't much going on right now. (They finally beat the Capitols 4-1 today, by the way.) My relief was a bit late, which meant I was almost late getting out. Otherwise, there were no huge problems.

Went straight home after work and onto the computer for some writing. Han, Leia, and Cecil pull in at the "mobile Inn" that belongs to Maz Kantana, the strange old Witch of the Woods. Her Inn is on chicken feet - it always moves around. She's not Force-sensitive, but she does have her own kind of neutral magic, and she's known Han for a long time. She gives Leia a candle that'll allow her to discover his true feelings for her.

Rose called as I was finishing for the evening. I still wanted to bring Khai his birthday present. It turned out they were having green beans, spaghetti, and pork chops for dinner. Craig was at work, and she made way too much to feed her and Khai. Did I want to join them? Sure, why not?

They drove me to and from Rose's house. Khai barely waited until we were in the door to open his gift from me - a small box set of Legos, featuring scuba divers and a shark. Rose said she'd gotten him another set from the same line that had an octopus, so I made the right choice. (I wasn't the only one who gave him Legos, either. I also saw boxes of DC and Marvel super-hero-themed sets, and another small set based around The Force Awakens.) Khai also got water balloons and the live-action Paddington movie on DVD.

Dinner was delicious. We had simple buttered spaghetti with green beans and pork chops in some kind of sweet sauce. Rose's dogs Toby and Kelsey kept trying to beg food. I ignored Kelsey and pushed Toby away. Khai had no problems slurping his spaghetti. It took longer to get him to eat his pork chop.

I watched Khai play Lego Jurassic World on the Wii U. I really don't think the kid was able to figure out where to go. He didn't get far. (Oh well. His mom will help. Rose has always been a great video gamer player.) When he gave up on that, we watched the new CGI Alvin and the Chipmunks show. (Alvin rented their house out as a time-share to make enough money to afford a Hawaiian vacation for Dave. Dave, despite his adopted son's altruistic intentions, was not amused) while Khai ate a "mystery flavor" Popsicle. The two of them finally took me home around 7 PM.

Did one more Cat In the Hat episode while I had Snickerdoodle Cake for my own dessert. The kids want to learn to flutter like a butterfly in "Flutter By, Butterfly." Cat introduces them to Bernadette the Monarch Butterfly, who proves that her wings aren't just beautiful - they're useful for getting her long distances and telling predators she's not good to eat, too.

Playing video games with Khai made me want to give my own Wii a run, which I haven't done in ages. Finally did the first couple of rounds of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. You start off in The Phantom Menace, with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's "short negotiations" and rescuing the Queen. If nothing else, we discover Jar Jar actually has a purpose. Those long legs may make him clumsy, but they also allow him to be a super-jumper, leaping to heights even the Jedi can't manage. Padme and her guards don't have the Force, but they do have good aims and can use grappling guns to get up to higher levels. I missed a lot of extra stuff and pieces, especially in the first round - I'll have to go back later.